In time-honoured tradition, Phi has brought this week’s set of mid-week puzzles to an end.
I found this to be towards the easier end of the Phi spectrum and made steady progress through it, managing to solve it in one sitting. I haven’t spotted any theme here today, but there is bound to be one here somewhere! I’ll take a look later to see what others might have discovered.
I would appreciate it if fellow solvers could confirm my parsing at 1. My favourite clues today are 19 and 27, both for overall construction and surface reading.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | BACKUP | Reserve defender no longer on the bench?
BACK (=defender, as opposed to forward) + UP (=no longer on the bench, i.e. on his feet and playing) |
| 05 | CRAYFISH | Crustacean collapse will come about if biosecurity finally reversed
YFI (IF + <biosecurit>Y (“finally” means last letter only): “reversed” indicates reversal) in CRASH (=collapse) |
| 09 | TOFU | Favourite of vegetarians in most of university
Hidden (“in”) of “mosT OF University” |
| 10 | TOILETRIES | Cosmetics? Flimsy stuff is vexing
TOILE (=flimsy stuff, i.e. delicate material) + TRIES (=is vexing, taxes) |
| 11 | BRAZENNESS | Support a sort of Buddhist quality? That takes effrontery
BRA (=support) + “ZENNESS” (=a sort of Buddhist quality) |
| 12 | OHMS | Old bad actors overlooking a measure of resistance
O (=old) + H<a>MS (=bad actors; “overlooking a” means letter “a” |
| 13 | APOSTATE | Naval officer in a condition to become deserter
PO (=naval officer, i.e. Petty Office) in [A + STATE (=condition)] |
| 15 | SITCOM | Company behind it is involved in odd bits of some TV show
[IT + CO (=company)] in S<o>M<e> (“odd bit of “ means odd letters only) |
| 17 | MALICE | Almost everyone beset by vermin will show hostility
AL<l> (=everyone; “almost” means last letter is dropped) in MICE (=vermin) |
| 19 | HAVE-NOTS | Many heading off in pursuit of refuge for poor people
HAVEN (=refuge) + <l>OTS (=many; “heading off” means first letter is dropped) |
| 21 | BERN | European city seen in October and November meeting
When the two words “meet”, i.e. they are run together, they contain BERN, i.e. “OctoBER November” |
| 23 | EISENSTEIN | Russian director almost ready to probe 14?
SE<t> (=ready; “almost” means last letter is dropped) in EINSTEIN (=scientist, i.e. Albert Einstein); the reference here is to Russian film director Sergei Einstsein (1898-1948) |
| 25 | ULTIMATELY | University recently adopting shortened term? Finally
U (=university) + [TIM<e> (=term; “shortened” means last letter is dropped) in LATELY (=recently)] |
| 26 | GRIT | Early Hanoverian with hint of total determination
GRI (=early Hanoverian, i.e. English king George the First) + T<otal> (“hint of” means first letter only) |
| 27 | BRITCHES | British and French are adopting long trousers
ITCH (=long, yearn) in [BR (=British) + ES (French are, i.e. the French word for are, i.e. tu es)] |
| 28 | KITTEN | By no means the leading set of equipment for a new pet
KIT TEN comes after KIT 1-9 supposedly, so is “by no means the leading set of equipment”; a recently born kitten is by definition a “new” pet! |
| Down | ||
| 02 | APOCRYPHA | Apparently hay crop’s ruined? Such things are not entirely accepted
AP. (=apparently) + *(HAY CROP); “ruined” is anagram indicator |
| 03 | KLUTZ | Awkward American trick’s ending skating manoeuvre
<tric>K (“ending” means last letter only) + LUTZ (=skating manouvre); a klutz is an awkward person in US slang |
| 04 | PETUNIA | One fruit coming up amidst vegetable garden feature
TUNI (I=one + NUT (=fruit); “coming up” indicates vertical reversal) in PEA (=vegetable) |
| 05 | CHINESE WHISPERS | Party game enciphers wishes in a funny way
*(ENCIPHERS WISHES); “in a funny way” is anagram indicator |
| 06 | AGEISTS | Answer points about origin of extremely discriminatory people
A (=answer, as in Q&A) + [E<xtremely> (“origin of” means first letter only) in GISTS (=points, key ideas)] |
| 07 | FORGOTTEN | Excessive coming in to fake name no longer known
OTT (=excessive, i.e. over-the-top) in [FORGE (=fake, counterfeit) + N (=name)] |
| 08 | STEAM | No longer a motivation to train second squad
S (=second) + TEAM (=squad); steam trains are a rare sight today |
| 14 | SCIENTIST | Trail is enthralling one tense researcher
{I (=one) in [SCENT (=trail) + IS]} + T (=tense, in grammar) |
| 16 | ON THIN ICE | Not unhappy greeting French resort, being in a delicate situation
*(NOT) + HI (=greeting) + NICE (=French resort); “unhappy” is anagram indicator |
| 18 | EYELASH | Passage remains presented in speech, offering protection for viewer
Homophone (“in speech”) of “aisle (=passage) + ash (=remains, after fire)”; eyelashes help to protect the eye (=viewer) |
| 20 | VAN DYCK | Artist showing limits to vanity and heartless cheek
V AND Y (=limits to vanity, i.e. its first and last letters only) + C<hee>K (“heartless” means all middle letters are dropped); the reference is to the Flemish artist Antony van Dyck (1599-1641) |
| 22 | EULER | English monarch dismissing first King’s Mathematician
E (=English) + <r>ULER (=monarch; “dismissing first” means first letter is dropped); the reference is to the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler (1707-83) |
| 24 | TIGHT | Drunk later today? That’s not on
T<on>IGHT (=later today); “that’s not on” means that the letters “on” are dropped |
I’m not very good with composers but I did notice:
BA..CH
BRA.HMS
BERN..STEIN
BRIT..TEN (or BRI..TTEN)
I guess there are others.
22 EULER
I see it this way: Dismissing first King-Dismissing the first R in RULER.
Thanks, P and RR!
Hi. I know this probably isn’t the place but I can’t think where else to ask. What happened to Anax/Loroso who used to set crossowrds?
Lots to enjoy as usual from Phi. Great pick, Hovis @1. All the B’s, so there may not be any more, but I’m happy to be proved wrong. I had wondered about a mathematician mini-theme, but that turned out to be pretty ‘Flimsy stuff’.
I didn’t give too much thought to BACKUP once I’d seen the def, but your parsing seems plausible.
Thanks to Phi and RR
[Canalonly @3, Dean Mayer (= Anax/Loroso as was) is still very much alive and kicking in the crossword world. Of the ones that I do, he sets every third Sunday Times puzzle – I think we may be due to renew his acquaintance this week. I’m not sure if he’s still setting as Elkamere in the Telegraph Toughie or is a regular cryptic setter elsewhere. His puzzles are almost universally top notch – just about worth the cost of The Times subscription for my three-weekly hit!]
Thanks for that. I’m glad he’s ok, I used to really like his crosswords in the Indy and FT but haven’t seen them for ages
thank you
Thanks RatKojariku, and also Hovis, who has spotted what does look like a music theme. It would not be out of place for Phi, who has shown a deep knowledge of such matters over the years.
As for the absences from and additions to the Indy panel, as it is known, some but not all of the principals took their leave in an alleged tussle over money, according to a conversation I had at one of the last crossword dos I attended before the pandemic hit. Luckily Phi and one or two other famous names can still be seen, and of course the other upside is that new compilers, some among whom being very good indeed, can gain a foothold.
Phi is consistently good. Nice to see the last Plantagenet commenting on a puzzle withe the first Hannoverian.